Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

You'll have to wait until the end of the weekend for the biggest event happening in Dallas-Fort Worth, the re-emergence of an iconic pop star. While you bide your time, you can take in some top-shelf soccer, a great magician, two unique dance productions, a folk singer playing with an orchestra, a music festival, a well-known comedian, and more.

Below are more best ways to spend your precious free time this weekend. Want more options? Lucky for you, we have a much longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, March 21

Concacaf Nations League Semifinals and Finals
The Concacaf Nations League is a soccer competition featuring countries from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The final four teams standing - U.S. vs. Jamaica and Panama vs. Mexico - will face off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in the semifinals on Thursday, with the winners meeting in the finals on Sunday. This is the third Nations League competition, with the U.S. winning the first two.

Grand Kyiv Ballet presents Giselle
Recognized as one of the greatest dramatic love stories ever told, the ballet Giselle recounts the tale of Giselle and young unmarried girls betrayed by their lovers who meet their untimely demise. Overwhelmed by sorrow and anger, they transform into the malevolent Willis, seeking retribution and settling scores. Grand Kyiv Ballet will present a one-night-only performance at Winspear Opera House.

Friday, March 22

Justin Willman: Magic For Humans
Magician and comedian Justin Willman is known for his Netflix magic series, Magic For Humans with Justin Willman, in which he brings his skills as a magician to the strange and misunderstood subcultures of America, while incorporating his disarming demeanor into street magic and social experiments that will boggle the mind. He'll premiere a new show, The Magic Prank Show with Justin Willman, on Netflix on April 1. He'll perform live at Majestic Theatre.

Tejas Dance presents mahAmAyA
Using a dramatic collection of narratives and athletic movements, Tejas Dance presents mahAmAyA, a visually stunning tribute to Indian culture, community, and humanity. Through an evening-length production in Bharatanatyam, one of the classical Indian dance forms, audiences will see a combination of untethered stomps, intricate expressions, and enchanting stories. The production, part of AT&T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project, will have performances on Friday and Saturday at Strauss Square.

Amos Lee in Concert with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
One of the shining stars of modern folk, Amos Lee creates the rare kind of music that’s emotionally raw yet touched with a certain magical quality. In this first collaboration with the Dallas Symphony, the singer/songwriter - whose latest album was Honeysuckle Switches: The Songs of Lucinda Williams in 2023 - will perform in a concert conducted by Andrew Lipke. The one-night-only event takes place at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Richardson Theatre Centre presents Things My Mother Taught Me
Olivia and Gabe are moving into their first apartment together. They’ve just packed up all their belongings and driven halfway across the country to start a new life together in Chicago. Their moving day doesn’t go exactly as planned, though, and things become slightly more complicated when all of their parents show up to help. The production runs through April 7 at Richardson Theatre Centre.

Pink Martini featuring China Forbes in concert
Featuring more than a dozen musicians, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire throughout the world. Thomas Lauderdale's "Little Orchestra" returns for a night of music from all over the world - crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop. The concert, taking place at Winspear Opera House, will celebrate the band's 30th year of performing.

Saturday, March 23

Texas Forever Fest
Texas Forever Fest will highlight the food, music, and people of Texas. It will be headlined by performances by Wade Bowen, Kaitlin Butts, George Dunham & His All Star Band, The Selfless Lovers, and Midnight Thirty. The festival will also feature entertainment, activities, food, drinks, and vendors, all influenced by Texas’ diverse culture and spirit. The event takes place at Haggard Park in Plano.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Dinosaur World Live
Dinosaur World Live follows an intrepid explorer across uncharted territories to discover a pre-historic world of dinosaurs. It features a host of creatures, including the Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Triceratops, Giraffatitan, Microraptor, and Segnosaurus. There will also be a special meet and greet after the show which offers all brave explorers the chance to make a new dinosaur friend. The event takes place at Majestic Theatre.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Paula Poundstone
Iconic comedian Paula Poundstone is known for her smart, observational humor and legendary spontaneous wit. She is the star of several HBO specials, including Cats, Cops and Stuff, and Paula Poundstone Goes to Harvard. She is also a regular panelist on NPR’s comedy news quiz, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, and can be heard weekly on her comedy podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone. She'll perform at Winspear Opera House.

Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts presents Patti Lupone: A Life in Notes
Three-time Tony Award-winner Patti LuPone describes her new concert, A Life in Notes, as a “personal musical memoir.” Lupone performs a musical touchstone of her life, singing songs that affected her as a young girl growing up on Long Island, experiencing her first love, finding freedom in Manhattan, career, true love, and family. She'll perform at Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

Sunday, March 24

Photo by Ricardo Gomez

Madonna will perform at American Airlines Center on March 24 and 25.

The Simon & Garfunkel Story
The Simon & Garfunkel Story features a full live band performing all of the duo's greatest hits, including "Mrs. Robinson," "Cecilia," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Homeward Bound," and more. The one-night-only performance takes place at Winspear Opera House.

Madonna in concert
It's been eight years since pop star Madonna went on a proper tour, and 12 long years since she included Dallas on any of her tours, meaning area fans haven't been able to see her perform songs from either of her last two albums, 2015's Rebel Heart or 2019's Madame X. She'll make up for lost time with two concerts - one Sunday and one Monday - at American Airlines Center.

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Movies for Kids

Kid-themed film festival at Angelika Dallas will be free to all

Photo courtesy of Viva Kids

The 42nd annual KidFilm will feature screenings of The Pout-Pout Fish and other new animated films.

A family-friendly kid-themed festival is coming to Dallas that'll be free for all: The 42nd Annual KidFilm Family Festival, the oldest and largest children-themed film festival in the U.S., will take place on January 17 and 18, 2026 at the Angelika Film Center Dallas with film debuts, animated films, and an appearance by a renowned children's author.

KidFilm is an annual outreach program of the USA Film Festival/Dallas, a 56-year-old nonprofit dedicated to film and the arts.

The big highlight of this year's KidFilm is a salute to children’s book author Deborah Diesen, who will appear in conjunction with a screening of Viva Kids’ new animated feature film, The Pout-Pout Fish — based on Diesen's 2008 book, which started a series that has now reached 20 entries.

The film — about Mr. Fish, a pouty introvert, and Pip, an energetic sea dragon, who embark on a daunting quest to find a legendary fish to grant their wish to save their homes — features a star-studded voice cast with familiar names like Nick Offerman, Miranda Otto, Jordin Sparks, and Amy Sedaris.

Free copies of the new book, The Pout-Pout Fish Movie Storybook, will be distributed to families (while supplies last), and Diesen will sign books for the kids.

The festival will also include screenings of other new animated feature films:

Leon Joosen's The Land of Sometimes, a musical which follows twins Alfie and Elise who get more than they bargained for as they are whisked away to a magical world after summoning a mysterious Wish Collector.
Mark Risley’s Flower of the Dawn, a fairy tale that follows a princess who has been turned into a nightingale by a vain sorceress whose only hope is to attain an elusive, magical flower.
Reza Memari’s The Last Whale Singer, an adventure which features a self-doubting teenage humpback whale who must face his fears and embark on a perilous journey with his friends in order to discover his own song and save the ocean from a monstrous creature.
Caroline Origer’s Spiked, which follows a young, orphaned hedgehog and overextended rabbit father who experience the adventure of a lifetime.
Vincent Bal & Wip Vernooij's Miss Moxy, a comedy which features a domestic cat who gets lost during a vacation and must find her way back home through the South of Europe with the help of the most despicable creatures a cat can imagine: a comical dog and an old, wise bird.

Additionally, the festival will include several new live-action feature films:

Gregory Alan Williams’ Paw Paw & Dayja, which follows the adventures of a Bigfoot obsessed 10-year-old who, with the help of her grandfather, learns that each of us see the world a little differently but everyone’s view has value.
Neven Hitrec’s The Second Diary of Paulina P., which follows a fifth grader who uses her charm and imagination to navigate a strict teacher, her first bully, and the new dynamic with her grandmother who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Tord Danielsson’s The Crown Prince and the Return of the Tyrant, a fantasy film that follows a young Crown Prince who will soon become king, just as he has always dreamed, when his suspicious grandmother returns to the kingdom.

Finally, there will be 22 short film presentations featuring animated and live-action short films from around the world, including works from Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Serbia, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and U.S. (including two films made by Texans).

The event is free thanks to support from the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and from the Festival’s Season Sponsors which include the Carol and Alan J. Bernon Family Charitable Foundation, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, Sidley Austin LLP, Headington Companies, Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, Gaedeke Group, Mary Fox & Laura Fox, Moody Fund for the Arts, Dallas Film Commission, Angelika Film Center Dallas, Wildworks PR, DFW Child, and Spracklen Film and Video. The USA Film Festival is supported, in part, by the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The full schedule of KidFilm programs can be found at usafilmfestival.com. Tickets for all shows are free for both children and adults, but tickets are required for admission.

Advance tickets for most programs is available online through January 14 at eventbrite.com. Any unreserved tickets will be made available at the Angelika Theater box office on the day of show only.

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